Maria Edeko

Maria Omozele Oligbi Edeko was born on 12 May 1963 in Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria.

She attended Local Authority Primary School, Efandion, Uromi, in Esan North-East Local Government Area, Our Lady of Lords Girls Grammar Secondary School, before proceeding to College of Education, Abraka, Delta State, where she studied Foreign Languages (French).

She earned a degree in French Education in 1991, a master's degree in Public Administration from University of Benin in 1997, a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) in 2000 from the University of Benin, a Barrister-at-Law (B.L.) in 2004 from the Nigerian Law School which eventually led to her call to the bar, and a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Benin in 2007.^[7]

Edeko began her political career as an aspirant for Esan North-East Constituency in the 2019 State Houses of Assembly elections, where she lost. She was later appointed as commissioner for the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Issues, Edo State, serving from 2019 to 2023.^[8][9][10]

Edeko was first elected to the Edo State House of Assembly in 2023, representing the Esan North-East II Constituency.^[11]

On 16 June 2023, she became the deputy speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, a role she held until May 2025 after she voluntarily resigned.^{[12][13][14][15]}